This Week in Texas: Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Posted April 1, 2020 in The Mignon Memo

Only in Austin…

Texas Schools to Remain Closed Until May 4th; Social Distancing to Continue Through April 30th

On Tuesday, Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order #14, which allows only essential services to remain open across Texas through at least April 30th, an action similar to what many local governments already have done to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  The Governor explained it is not a “stay at home” order because Texans are still allowed to exercise outside and run necessary errands.  The order is in place through April 30th, which aligns it with the new end date that President Donald Trump announced Monday for social distancing guidelines.  The executive order also directs schools to remain closed until at least May 4th.  Any law enforcement officer in the state can enforce the order; those caught violating it can be subject not only to fines or jail but to a quarantine order.

How H-E-B Planned for the Pandemic

If you haven’t seen it yet, Texas Monthly just published a gripping article on San Antonio-based H-E-B and the phenomenal preparation work the grocery store chain has done to take care of its customers during the coronavirus pandemic.

H-E-B has had a pandemic and influenza plan in place since the threat of H1N1 in China in 2005, and by the second week of January 2020, after seeing consumer trends in China, they started to prepare for the coronavirus in the U.S.  Now, H-E-B has put its research to work, from cutting store hours to allow time to stock shelves, to using heavier trucks to bring in more supplies and using data from curbside service to determine what items people need most.  The grocer has also announced it will deliver 24 truckloads of food to 13 Texas food banks across the state, and has donated more than $3 million to Texas nonprofits amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As Texans have seen time and again, H-E-B always comes through for its communities.

The 50 Greatest “Texas” Movies Ever

In our quest to entertain during these days of social distancing at home, may we present a list of the 50 greatest “Texas” movies ever made.  Some favorites:  Dazed and Confused (obviously), Terms of Endearment, Friday Night Lights, The Last Picture Show, No Country for Old Men, Giant, Urban Cowboy, Selena, Tender Mercies…the full list can be found here.  Other fun Texas movie compilations can be found here and here and here.

As Wooderson said, “You just gotta keep livin’ man.  L-I-V-I-N.”